Thursday, April 22, 2010

Let them pick

This is why I let them pick - I have no clue what women want. The bride tells me her colors are brown and green. I make one clutch thinking - when she sees this she is going to say oooh, that's perfect! The fabric is flying off the shelves at both Buttercuppity and Hawthorne Threads, so that is a good sign, right? Wrong. That is not the one, she says. I give her the link to Hawthorne Threads so she can see the other options in the Timber line which is the only line right now with fantastic greens and browns together in wedding possible fabrics. Here is what she picked. These will be gorgeous as well, but how could I have guessed? I absolutely love making items from my patterns in fabrics chosen by the customer. Their choices have lead me to fantastic features and opportunities I would not have had without them. I am specifially thinking of the bride who ordered 6 duffles at a time - she let me pick the fabrics on that one, but I would not have made a pyramid o duffles without her. I believe this is the highest and best use of Etsy - a place where product designers and their customers meet and create together. Way more effective than a focus group in my opinion. Thank you to all of my customers who are leading me along the way.

Cindy, I think about the brave young women stepping into the wife role. Being a good wife is a hard job.I just got a message from Jessica Levitt, the fabric designer saying she loves this bag. How cool is that?

Loved your article, Cherie! It IS so hard to know what other people will like so allowing them to choose is a great luxury we have today (i.e. looking at fabrics online and not having to stock them all). Nice work! By the way, do you sell a pattern for your duffle bag?? I really love it!! :-) Have a great day...Corinne at Bagalicious

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About Me

My name is Cherie. I am the person who rarely orders the same thing twice in a restaurant. Change excites me. You can find me hiking or canoeing the Little Spokane River as much as possible, enjoying the changing seasons. If I am not outside, I am usually at my studio. I have a list of upcoming projects and a stash of gorgeous prototypes waiting for me to write their patterns and share with you, but often I interrupt myself... That's me: enjoying the journey.